Art & Culture Desk

Iran is a great country and a regional power which possesses a high tourism capacity, said the president of Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA).

Tadashi Shimura made the remark in a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Tokyo Morteza Rahmani-Movahed on Saturday, ISNA wrote.

He added the Japanese government is mulling over the possibility of developing tourism industry in Iran.

“We are interested in consulting and cooperating with you [Iran] to find ways to increase the number of tourists visiting Japan and Iran from both countries.”

Speaking at the same meeting, Rahmani-Movahed said JATA is well-known in Iran and has a background of cooperation with its Iranian counterparts.

He noted that Iran’s tourism sector has good memories of Japanese tourists.

Commenting on the diverse and enormous capacities of Iran’s tourism sector, the Iranian ambassador said the country’s tourist attractions suits Japanese visitors’ all kinds of tastes.

He added 2019 marks the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Iran and Japan, which would be a good opportunity to hold an Iranian tourism and handicrafts exhibition in Japan to present the country’s capacities well in these fields to the Japanese people.

The Iranian envoy called on the Japanese side to support Iran in the holding of the event, expressing hope that the Middle Eastern state could use Japan’s experiences in tourism sector.

Shimura welcomed the idea of holding an Iranian expo in Japan, saying only few Japanese people fail to have information about the central Iranian city of Yazd which has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

“It would be very good to present Iran’s tourist attractions to the Japanese people. Japanese [travel] agencies and media can also attend the exhibition. Japanese tourists’ tastes are different from those of the European visitors as they are mostly interested in historical artefacts and buildings and prefer eco-tourism over staying at hotels.”